Freshwater ecosystems are important for directly ensuring a range of benefits and services that sustain local livelihoods and help mitigate climate change. However, freshwater ecosystems are threatened by anthropogenic and natural pressures affecting their ability to sustainably provide these services. Managing freshwater ecosystems is mainly challenged by the complexity of the drivers of their degradation and by the difficulty of balancing the need for short-term socioeconomic development and protecting and restoring ecosystems to support long-term, sustainable development. Addressing such challenges requires an integrated and systematic approach, catchment-wide management and meaningful engagement and collaboration among stakeholders. The present study was conducted in Lake Ziway, Rift Valley Lakes Basin, Ethiopia. The overarching objective was to conserve the freshwater ecosystem through co-planning and designing management options for the buffer zone and entire catchment. The study engaged local communities through multiple approaches including inception and validation workshops, reconnaissance surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. It also employed quantitative data collection methods to characterize the freshwater ecosystem and entire catchment. The participatory approach employed in this study identified multiple management options including tree-based forest and landscape restoration measures, integrated soil and water conservation, and multiple buffer zone restoration measures. The identified and validated management options are aimed at improving the functionality of the freshwater ecosystem in the face of increased need of economic development and climate change. Furthermore, the study provided key recommendations to support the processes of policy development and the effective implementation of suggested and validated management options.

中文翻译：

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保护埃塞俄比亚裂谷湖盆地淡水生态系统的参与式规划

淡水生态系统对于直接确保维持当地生计并帮助缓解气候变化的一系列效益和服务非常重要。然而，淡水生态系统受到人为和自然压力的威胁，影响其可持续提供这些服务的能力。淡水生态系统管理面临的主要挑战是其退化驱动因素的复杂性以及平衡短期社会经济发展的需求与保护和恢复生态系统以支持长期可持续发展的困难。应对这些挑战需要采取综合和系统的方法、全流域的管理以及利益相关者之间有意义的参与和合作。本研究是在埃塞俄比亚裂谷湖盆地的 Ziway 湖进行的。总体目标是通过共同规划和设计缓冲区和整个流域的管理方案来保护淡水生态系统。该研究通过多种方法吸引当地社区参与，包括启动和验证研讨会、勘察调查、关键知情人访谈和焦点小组讨论。它还采用定量数据收集方法来描述淡水生态系统和整个流域的特征。本研究采用的参与式方法确定了多种管理方案，包括基于树木的森林和景观恢复措施、综合水土保持以及多种缓冲区恢复措施。已确定和验证的管理方案旨在改善淡水生态系统的功能，以应对经济发展和气候变化日益增长的需求。此外，该研究还提供了关键建议，以支持政策制定过程以及有效实施建议和经过验证的管理方案。